Propeller type hydraulic machine



' Jan 31,1939.

'J. J. RING PROPELLER TYPE HYDRAULIC MACHINE Filed .Au 13, 1936 Patented ia n. 31.1939

UNITED STATES mm m nmnamo momma:

Joseph 1. Ring, Wauwatoca, Wis allignor to Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaulrec, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application August 1:, 193a serial No. 55,741 1 Claims. (or 253-143 This invention relates to improvements in the. structure of hydraulic machines of the propellertype and particularly in the construction of and means for varying the position oi'the blades ofsuch propeller.

In hydraulic machines of the propeller type. whether used as turbines to deliver power or as pumps requiring the delivery thereto of power, the hydraulic headacting on the turbines may vary or the quantity of power available to drive the pumps may vary. Both turbines and pumps should however operate at a constant predetermined speed to avoid complication of the control system for such machines. Efficient operation of such propeller type machine can only be obtained if the entering angle and the discharge angle of the propeller blades are both kept as close as possible to the theoretically most effective value which maintains the water passages through the runner atthe most effective area and at the best angular relation with respect' to other portions of such water flow ,passages. It is however impossible to maintain the maximum efllciency of operation at constant speed but under variable heads or at variable power with the known type of unitary blade propellerrunner for the reason that the angle of the entering edge of the blade relative to the horizontal and the angled the discharge edge of the blade relative to the horizontal are variable only in the same sense and able head is varying or when the power delivered from or supplied to'the machine is varied. To obtain such constant speed operation under varying heads, it is accordingly necessary that it be possible to increase the entrance angle which tends to decrease the speed of the machine and to decrease the discharge angle which tends to decrease the quantity of water discharged throughthe machine and hence to decrease the power delivered by or required by the machine. When constant speed operation at. variable power is desired, the entrance angle is decreased and the discharge angle is increased or vice versa which tends to increase'the speed and to increase the power respectively or to decrease the speed and to increase the power respectively.

It is, therefore, one of the obiects of the present invention to provide a blade construction for hydraulic machines of the propeller type in which the power delivered to the machine or required for the operation of the machine may be varied without varying the speed of.the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide blades and operating means therefor for hydraulic machines of the propeller type in which the angle of the entrance edge and the angle of the discharge edge of the several blades are simultaneousl'y changed in opposite sense. I

Another object of the invention is to provide 15 blades and operating means therefor for hydraulic machines of the propeller type in which the entrance and discharge angles of the blade are changed in degree relative to each other.

Another object of the invention is to provide a blade construction and the operating means for such blade for hydraulic machines of the propeller type in which the entrance and discharge angles of such blade. are simultaneously changed by different amounts and in opposite sense relative to each other.

Objects and advantages other than those above set forth, will be apparentfrom the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the blade and the mounting therefor of a hydraulic machine of the propeller type and illustrates the divided .construction of such blades;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane of IIII of Fig. 3 to illustrate the divided construction of the propeller blades and the manner of operating the several blade portions;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line HI-III of Fig. 2 to aid in illustrating the mechanism for operating the several blade portions;

Fig. 4 illustrates the use of gear segmentsof equal diameters to secure equal operation in opposite directions of the two portions of each blade; and

Fig. 5 illustrates the use of gear segments of unequal diameter to secure movement of the tw blade portions relative to each other.

Referring more particularly to the drawing by characters of reference, the reference numeral ii designates a hollow shaft to which is attached a hub member I! which is also hollow and is provided with a central boss l3 defining an annular space when considered together with the outer wall ll of the hub. The hub wall i4 is formed with a plurality of apertures therethrough. the apertures being arranged in pairs to receive the separate pivots l6 and (8 of the several portions I! and I9 cooperating to form one of several similar propeller blades, all of which are similarly mounted in the hub.

In the position of the blade portions I1 and I9 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the adjacent edges of such portions are closely in contact. However as the blade portionsare tilted to different angles, a crevice is left in the pressure surface of each of the blades or the surface over which the water flows and which crevices, if left uncovered, would disturb the stream flow lines. To minimize such disturbance, a strip 20 of flexible material such as rubber is attached to the entering portion IQ of the several blades by suitable means such as the rivets shown and is allowed to extend over a portion of the discharge portion I! of the blade.

The blade pivots l8, l8 are keyed to or have otherwise mounted thereon, in the annular space between the hub wall I! and the hub central boss l3, gear segments 2| and 22 respectively which are formed to mesh with each other and which are shown in Fig. 4 as being of the same size and hence as capable of rotating the several blade portions l1 and I9 by equal amounts. Segments 22 are provided with arms 23 to which are pivotally attached links 24 which are in tumpivotally connected with a spider 26 which interconnects the operating links 24 and arms 23 of the several pairs of vane portions forming each of the blades l1, IS. The spider 26 is connected with a rod 28 extending through the central boss l3 of the hub and through the hollow shaft H to either manually or automatically operable means which are suitable for operating such rod, such means being well known and therefore not illustrated. The open end of the hub I2 is enclosed by a suitable substantially conical cover 29. The pivots l6 and I8 extend through the outer wall it of the hub l2 and into the central boss l3 of the hub to secure adequate bearings on and within which space the gear segments are mounted on the pivot.

As shown in Fig. the gear segments 3| and 32 which are comparable to the gear segments: 2i and 22, are formed with different diameters to secure a different degree of rotation of the blade portions I! and I 9 upon movement of the rod 28. Although the gear portion 3| which is attached to the entrance plate portion l9, has been shown as being the larger of the two gears and therefore as rotating to a lesser degree than the discharge blade portion I! to which the gear 32 is attached, it will be understood that either of the gears may be made the smaller as may be required by the operating condition which it is desired to attain.

It will be apparent that the gear sections may be made sothat any desired ratio may be obtained between such segments. Due to the use ofthe intermeshing gear segments, the two blade portions are rotatable in opposite directions about their pivots to vary the angle of the entering edge of the portion IQ of the blade to decrease or increase the speed of rotation of the machine dependent on whether the angle is increased or decreased and the angle of the discharge edge of the blade portion ll may be decreased or increased to give a decreased or increased discharge. Thus when th head of water decreases, the quantity of water passing through the machine may be increased by increasing the entrance angle and the speed may be kept constant or even increased by decreasing the discharge angle. The machine is thus kept in operation at high efliciency even at the lower head. If the quantity of water delivered by or supplied to the machine is to be varied as by reduction of such power, the entrance angle would be decreased and the discharge angle would be increased to obtain constant speed operation of the machine.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

- It is-claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A hydraulic'machine rotor of the propeller type comprising a shaft, a hub mounted on said shaft, a blade divided into a plurality of separate portions individually and movably mounted in said hub on separate axles intermediate the edges of said blade portions, gears severally mounted on each of said blade portions and arranged wholly within said hub, and means for actuating said gears to change entrance and discharge angles of said blade portions.

2. A hydraulic machine rotor of the propeller type comprising a shaft, a hub mounted on said shaft, a blade divided into a plurality of separate portions individually and movably mounted in said hub, intermeshing gear segments severally mounted on each of said blade portions wholly within said hub for rotating said blade portions in opposite directions to change both the entrance and discharge angles of each of said blades in opposite sense, and means for actuating all of said gear segments.

3. A hydraulic machine rotor of the propeller type comprising a shaft, a hub mounted on said shaft, a blade divided into a plurality of separate portions individually and movably mounted in said hub, intermeshing gear segments of unequal diameters severally mounted on each of said blade portions and arranged wholly within said hub for rotating the portions of each said single blade in opposite direction to change the entrance and discharge angles of each of said blade portions in opposite sense and-.. by different amounts, and means extending into said hub and interconnecting said gear segments therein for rotating said blade portions for actuating all of said gear segments.

4. Ahydraulic machine rotor of the propeller type comprising a hollow shaft, a hollow hub mounted on said shaft, a plurality of blades each divided into a plurality of separate portions individually and movably mounted in said hub and cooperating to act as a single blade, gear seg ments severally mounted on the blade portions within said hub, said gear segments being intermeshed and mounted on the blade portions for rotating the blade portions in opposite directions upon movement thereof, means wholly within said hub for interconnecting all of said gear segments, and a. rod extending through said shaft and into said hub for actuating said means.

5. In a hydraulic turbine of the propeller type, a hollow shaft, a hollow hub mounted on said shaft, a plurality of vanes mounted in and extending from said hub, each of said vanes being divided into a pair of portions movable in closely adjacent relation to act as a single vane, an operating rod extending through said' shaft and into said hub for actuating said vanes, gear segments of unequal diameter mounted on each pair of the portions of said vanes within said hub, and a crosshead connecting one of said segments directly and the other of said segments indirectly with said operating rod for simultaneously varying the positions of said pairs of vane portions in opposite sense relative to each other and by different amounts upon movement of said rod.

6. In a hydraulic turbine of the propeller type,

a shaft, a hub mounted on'said shaft, a plurality of vanes mounted in and extending from said hub, each of said vanes being divided into 20 the pressure surface of said vanes and extending from one of the vane portions partially over the otherofthevanevportiontocoverthespace therebetween.

a hollow shaft, a hollow hub mounted on said shaft, a plurality of vanes pivotally mounted in and extending from said hub, each of said vanes being divided into a plurality of portions individually mounted on separate axles and movable in closely adjacent relation, intermeshing gear segments mounted on each of the portions of said vanes within said hub, an operating rod extending through said shaft into said hub and connected with and actuating-said gear segments-to move said vane portions in opposite directions, and a strip of flexible material mounted on the pressure surface of said vanes and extending from one of said vane portions partially over the JOSEPH J. RING.

other of said vane portions to cover'the space 4 therebetween. 

